Hand and Soul

First printed in the short-lived Pre-Raphaelite publication The Germ, Rossetti's early short story "Hand and Soul" tells the fictional story of an early Renaissance painter who is depressed by the failure of his art to improve the world. The painter has a vision that his own soul comes to him in the form of a beautiful woman and instructs him to paint her likeness. In doing so, the painter paints his own soul, by which Rossetti reveals that an artist should produce work which reflects his own emotions and imagination. "Hand and Soul" was chosen by William Morris to be re-printed by his Kelmscott Press, which produced beautiful, hand-printed books. Morris was closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelites and went on to found the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain. 



This book was created from a scan of the original artifact, and as such the text of the book is not selectable or searchable.